Music transcends melody; it can be a sanctuary and a powerful catalyst for change. Every generation has a song that reflects its strongest emotions. For Dutch teens, “A Piece of Me” is that song.

KPN, the Netherlands’ leading telecom brand, wanted to transform attitudes to sexting and shaming. Sexting isn’t shameful; forwarding intimate content without consent is.  

To make an impact, we tackled it through culture and community.  

From the song lyrics informed by real stories, to the casting of first-time actors – every detail was meticulously crafted to turn taboo into open conversation, shifting attitudes and even changing

1 in 3 young people worldwide and more than 1 in 10 in the Netherlands engage in sexting. Sexting is part of modern sexuality for a generation raised in the world of mobile, with intimate images shared in a bond of trust.

But online shaming is growing rapidly in the Netherlands, with devastating consequences. In the past 6 months, over 33.000 Dutch youngsters have had intimate footage shared without their consent, with consequences ranging from depression and loneliness to suicide.

Meanwhile, 12% of young people have forwarded intimate images without considering the life-changing effects on the victim.

Society often blames and shames victims, but working with expert partners including Victim Support Fund (Fonds Slachtofferhulp), Dutch Sexuality Expertise Center (STICHTING RUTGERS), SoaAids Netherlands (Soa Aids Nederland), 113 suicide prevention (113 Zelfmoordpreventie) and Francien Regelink, as well as those affected, it became clear that the conversation needs to be opened up and responsibility shifted from those who share

intimate images, to those who forward those images to others.

To connect with Gen-Z about such a sensitive topic, we collaborated with the biggest artist in Dutch teenage culture: Meau. MEAU (23), makes intimate, highly personal songs about everyday topics such as love, personal development and loneliness. With over 200,000 followers on TikTok and almost 200m Spotify streams she is one of the most trusted and

influential voices among Gen Z.

He shares an intimate photo, then she shares one. It’s a private moment of flirtation between two teens. When he decides to forward the photo, her life quickly unravels with terrible consequences. At a critical moment, we cut back to the start…except this time he deletes it.

And their relationship, their friendships, their lives remain intact. It’s a story that powerfully delivers the message: Think twice before you forward. For a #BetterInternet. You hold your life and someone else’s in your hands.

KPN, the Netherlands’ leading telecom, has a longstanding commitment to social impact. In 2023, we created #BetterInternet, a platform dedicated to making the internet safer, more socially inclusive, more sustainable.

Telecoms is a saturated market. Differentiating on network quality isn’t easy, so the category risks differentiating on value alone. Instead, we chose to differentiate on values.

We knew from our research that 1 in 2 Dutch consumers were concerned about online safety.

For our core family audience, that meant protecting their kids in an unknown world. We needed to understand what online safety means to Generation Z.

We created a unique TikTok talkshow: a platform designed to generate authentic customer insight, engaging young people in expertly moderated conversations on topics from cyber-bulling to mental health.

These conversations identified online shaming as one of the biggest and most urgent issuesfacing teens online, and one where KPN could make a meaningful difference.

First, we identified young artists who resonated with the target audience, but who also had the lyrical and musical prowess to carry the campaign.

After thorough research we selected MEAU, one of the greatest Dutch talents of recent times. MEAU’s songs are small, pure and about everyday life. Her themes speak directly to the experiences of her audience, particularly teenagers, exactly what was needed to make a

meaningful connection on this project.

She reached out via to fans via her social channels, inviting them to share their experiences of online shaming. Alongside charity partners, she then interviewed victims, whose stories inspired the songwriting. This collaborative effort ensured that every aspect of the song—lyrics, melody, and rhythm— would strike the right chord.

It’s a certified gold record, +10m streams, +500 covers, 202m PR impressions and helped change the law, making it illegal to forward intimate images without consent.